For the second straight season, the Bruins played the Rhinos in their first game of the season. And for the second straight year, the Bruins left the game knowing the matchup toughened them up for the upcoming season.

Taft, one of the top teams in New England, rolled to a 65-35 non-league win against Brunswick, which advanced to the FAA Tournament semifinals last winter and aspires to win the title this season.

“For us, this was a very early game, we usually start the season sometime in December,” Bruins coach Robert Taylor said of Wednesday’s matchup against Taft. “We are behind in terms of learning the offense — we haven’t had many full practices where everyone was there, because the fall season just ended. Some of our guys have to learn our offensive and defensive system, which was very obvious today.”

Visiting Taft jumped out to leads of 9-0 and 23-6 in the first half, before entering halftime with a commanding 35-10 advantage. Behind center Moses Polking (14 points) and guard Shamir Johnson (10 points), the Rhinos excelled inside and in transition. The Rhinos posted an 86-58 win against the Bruins in 2015.

“They are a good team and they beat us in transition, scoring on some easy layups,” Bruins senior tri-captain/guard Will Marvin said. “We have to get back on defense and we need to hit our shots. We are a good shooting team.”

Perimeter shooting was one of the Bruins’ strengths last season and they picked up the pace in the second half of Wednesday’s game after making only two of their first 20 shots. Marvin scored 12 points, freshman guard Khari Wilson had eight points and senior guard/tri-captain Charlie Sealy added five for Brunswick.

“Taft kind of prepares us for the rest of the teams that we will go up against,” Sealy said. “We have a lot of returning players and we feel that we are a scrappy team that defends well. Our goal is to win the FAA championship.”

Said Taylor: “For our young kids, this game was an educational experience. They were not used to playing against that type of athleticism. We’re a better shooting team than what we showed today.”

Here’s a look at this season’s Bruins.

AT THE HELM: Taylor begins his sixth season as coach of the Bruins. Brunswick finished 9-15 overall and 8-6 in the FAA a year ago. The Bruins advanced to the FAA Tournament semifinals, where they lost to Greens Farms Academy. Taylor, who played basketball at Harvard, heads a staff that includes Christopher Forester, Shawn Harris and Johnny Montanez (the school’s head baseball coach).

WHO’S GONE?: Nacho Nwana, a dynamic point guard and shooting guard, graduated and is continuing his basketball career at MIT. Forward Raphael Raban, an exchange student, returned to Germany. He would have been in his junior year at Brunswick.

WHO’S BACK?: Senior guard Cam Kelly will serve as a captain, along with Sealy and Marvin. Also returning in the backcourt are junior Henry Ellison, senior Angus Binnie and junior Muna Nwana. Junior Graham Pierce, who sprained his knee in Wednesday’s game against Taft, is a 6-foot-4 forward.

NEWCOMERS: Wilson and senior center Peter Wise (6-6) lead the list of first-year varsity players. Like Kelly, Wise was a standout on the Bruins’ football team.

STRENGTHS: “I feel we have a really good group of returning veterans and a nice young core of players who will help us,” Kelly said. “We have a lot of quick guards, who are athletic.”

Depth at the guard position, should indeed, be a plus for the Bruins.

CAPTAIN’S COMMENT: “Pride is the biggest thing for us,” Sealy said. “We are a scrappy team that has to play hard each game and show a lot of tenacity on defense.”